Need You Now Niley Oneshot
by XoXoNiLeY2010
Summary: He was no longer the awkward, stuttering teenager with thick, unruly brown curls. Along with his new shortened hair a strikingly confident young man was yet to be discovered... a young man that would no longer be fooled by her games. Niley


_**Need You Now**__ – Niley Oneshot _

He was no longer the awkward, stuttering teenager with thick, unruly brown curls. Along with his new shortened hair a strikingly confident young man was yet to be discovered... a young man that would no longer be fooled by _her_ games. Niley

**March 22****nd****: Gray household, Toluca Lake **

A subconscious dreamy smile adorned the young man's lips as his eyes took in the beauty of the brunette on the screen, talking animatedly to the journalist. The familiar sparkle was more noticeable than ever in her crystal blue eyes as she talked about her passion: acting. It seemed surreal that she had taken a step out of the Disney industry to place it into the largest money making industry. Hannah Montana was coming to an end and there she was, as fresh and eager an new artist could be when promoting her first big movie.

His eyes trailed down her tanned legs and he instantly felt uncomfortable in his tight boxers... she seemed to have done a hell lot of growing up since they had last talked been physically close... It wasn't difficult to notice her change of wardrobe and the rock style she was aiming for and he had to admit... he liked it. The only problem? _Him._ Liam Blakeley really looked like the biggest pervert to Nick and the picture he had seen of Liam eyeing Miley's chest did not help to soothe the 17 year olds worries. And jealousy...!

It was clearly impossible for him to deny just how protective he was over the young woman who had captured his heart as a young teenager. Possessive was another adjective that could have been attributed to his attitude and reactions when it came to Miley but there was no way he would admit that. No. Nick Gray was always in control and he had everything to attract thousands of girls. Just not enough to keep _**her**_ apparently since she had jumped straight from his arms to the Australian's.

Nick Gray was bitter. Resentful even... And this time it was all _her_ doing. He didn't recall doing anything to upset her or anything to push her away when the duo had hit the Tybee waves on the powerful jet ski. He had done nothing but showered her with his affection when she had flown to Dallas to sing with him, live. Best friends... that was the title what they had hid themselves behind. The fear or restarting something that was bound to fall apart with a bigger heartbreak had held them back and although Nick had believed in their love, he hadn't pressurised her, instead, he had given her all the time and space she needed. However, he hadn't predicted her next move... falling for her co-star and forgetting all about her ex heartbreaker of a boyfriend.

The distance certainly hadn't helped and slowly, they had drifted apart. Her heart always seemed to be somewhere else on the rare occasions they did talk and just like that, he had lost her all over again. And this time... it hurt even more than it had the previous. It was like a vicious circle that was testing the limits of his heart, testing just how much more his heart could break. And the limit was when he had seen the first picture of the co-stars kissing at the Nashville airport. The first picture that had been taken off set. The one that started all the rumours about Liam and Miley being a couple.

"Nick, I'm heading out for a bit. Get better!" Joe peeked into Nick's room and sent him a peace sign before heading out.

Nick had been cooped up in bed for the past week with a nasty fever and cough. He wasn't used to having so much time to himself and he wasn't sure whether to like it or hate it. The first few days had consisted of him catching up on sleep and he hadn't minded the few visitors that had dropped by and cooed over him. His only regret? That Miley herself hadn't stopped by. Her excuse? She was too 'busy'. The one text he had received, although sweet, had left him wanting more... he wanted her presence. He wanted her warmth... he wanted the care with which she had nursed him back to health whenever he had been sick in the past or whenever his sugar levels were playing a joke on him. She had always been there for him and it was now that she wasn't that he realised just how much he needed her. Wanted her.

The rawness of his feelings had taken him by surprise and he was sure that all his family and close friends had witnessed it during his performance of Stay, night after night. Even the fans knew it was about her... For the first time in his life he had put his feelings out there in the public, sung his heart out for her hoping she would catch on. She hadn't.

"I thought you were going out?" Nick spoke up as he entered the living room to find his brother talking to-

"Oh, hey." He addressed the blue eyed beauty standing awkwardly beside Joe.

"Hey." Miley made a move to approach him but he held his hand up to motion for her to stay back.

"I've been sick, I don't think you should come any closer."

"Since when have you ever gotten me sick?" Her playful eye roll left him with tingling sensations in his tummy, reminding him of the times they had been physically close while one of them had been sick. Her eyes brightened and a smile graced her lips as she enveloped him in a hug.

"It's good to see you." For a few seconds, the hurt, the anger... everything was forgotten and they simply embraced each other. "How are you feeling?" She inquired kindly as they moved away from each others' arms.

"Better." He shrugged his shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh... um..."

"She came to talk to me and check on you." Joe answered for her.

"Oh. Well I'm all better as you can see." Nick gestured to himself. And that's when his lungs decided to fail him and he began a coughing fit. "Uh sorry!" He exclaimed between coughs. He bent over as the last wave hit him and his lungs finally decided to give him a rest.

"Hey, are you alright?" He couldn't get over how much he liked seeing her in his home... it made their 'friendship' seem so much more real to him.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He replied with a soft smile. It was then he noticed Joe had slipped out of the room.

"I wanted to apologise." She stated softly, taking him by surprise.

"Apologise?" His brows knitted together as he looked over at the brunette standing just a few feet away from him.

"For um... everything that's happened these past few months. I'm sorry I didn't return your calls and everything, things have just been... crazy, you know." He nodded his head in a silent acceptance of her apology.

"I just thought you would call me right after I sang Stay for the first time." A flicker of a teasing smile appeared on his face. "I thought you'd have something to answer to it..." He was unable to restrain himself from adding. He avoided her eyes and focused on the print of his plaid pyjama pants.

"Why would I have anything to say about it?"

"You always had a response to this whole song battle we've had going for years." He shrugged his shoulders. Her eyes widened as realisation dawned upon her.

"I-I thought Stay was written for Selena." He was dumbfounded by the brunette's confession. It didn't occur to Nick that Stay had been written and performed very shortly before Selena had invited herself to his shows with his own father's help. Never did it occur to him that the brunette could have mistaken who the song had been written for because for him it was all _**her**_. Selena didn't even exist in his eyes. Although he didn't mind her company, he barely considered her as a friend. She was a pleasant acquaintance but nothing more. Why had he accepted to go out with her on several occasions? He wasn't sure. Was it because subconsciously he wanted to make Miley jealous? Could be... Or was it because he needed a distraction? That was more likely, in his opinion. "So." She took in a shaky breath and he was quick to notice the way her chest heaved and her hands trembled. "Y-you're saying you wrote it for m-me?"

"I think that's what I said, yeah." The male joked. A sheepish smile appeared on his lips at the sight of her glare. "I'm sorry okay? It's just funny." He laughed. "Ridiculous really that you thought it was for Selena. You should know by now that-"

"That the most beautiful music you write is from your heart..." She completed the well known sentence. "I thought she might have a little space somewhere in there." The blue eyed beauty tried to joke as she tapped his chest but the small smile failed to illuminate her eyes.

"You should know-"

"Yeah, yeah, I should have known." She waved him off and he instantly felt the shift in the mood. "I-I should go. Liam is-"

Nick held up a hand to silence her.

"I don't wanna know." He muttered as he turned around and retreated towards the stairs. The happiness he had felt to simply see her and talk to vanished the second _his_ name came from her mouth.

"Nick, wait-"

His eyes pierced through hers as he turned around abruptly. Taking a few steps forward, he found himself closing the gap between them, once again. Rage threatened to ravage his body and he tried hard, for her sake, to control his anger, his bitterness.

"I'm not going to listen to you talk about your boyfriend to my face when I could be that guy, alright? I'm tired of pretending. I'm tired of making everyone think we're over when we're not! Do you even remember last summer? Tybee? Dallas? Do you remember any of it?" He shook his head at the gaping brunette. "But you know what? I'm DONE. For good. I'm not gonna let you fucking play me anymore. We were best friends... I respected that. I never tried anything because I respected you so much and because I knew how much I had hurt you. I gave you all the time in the world to come to terms with our past. But what did you do? You fucking made me believe there was a future to us. You made me fall in love all over again. A hundred times harder. And the next thing I know? You're avoiding my calls. Not answering my texts. And bam. You're with _him_. And the worst part? You didn't even try to tell me yourself. I had to find out through the fucking media!" He growled.

"Every emotion I felt last summer was just about as real as were yours. So don't you dare question my honesty. Don't you dare accuse me of playing games!" Her tears never made it over the brim of her eyes as her own anger flared up. "You know what the ironic part is?" She laughed bitterly. "I was going to call you and explain everything. And that's when you went back to _her." _

"Selena?" His eyes went wide. "I just told you-"

"Yeah she doesn't mean anything to you." She held her hand up to silence him. "How was I supposed to know that? You ran to her when we broke up in 2007. Why wouldn't you do it again?"

"Well maybe if you had picked up my calls you would have known that she had invited herself to my concerts. So instead of jumping to conclusions you could have just given me a fucking call." His anger was back, roaring and boiling in his veins.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Demi's voice boomed as she entered the living room, panting. "I can hear you guys all the way down the driveway!" Her voice softened at the sight of the dishevelled looking couple. "What's going on?" Her eyes went back and forth between the male and the female but neither supplied an explanation as they stared each other down.

"Are you going to tell her how much you like to fucking play with my heart or should I?" Nick's voice was venomous and Demi winced visibly. As for the blue eyed brunette, she let the tears spill over onto her tanned skin.

"Guys..."

"No, you know what Dem? I'm out of here." Miley threw her hands up in exasperation and sent one last heated glare in the direction of her ex before taking the nearest exit.

"Was that really necessary?" Demi turned to Nick who was now cradling his face in his hands. He gingerly lifted his eyes to meet his best friend's sympathetic gaze. "I know you're hurting, Nick but you really shouldn't have-"

"I know." Came the unexpected response. Demi arched her eyebrows in confusion at Nick's confession. She had never known Nick to be the one to back down from a fight and admit his flaws as quickly as he had just then.

"You know?"

"Yeah I know. I lost it." He sighed. "I fucked up for the last time."

"Nick-"

"I was just so tired and I blew up."

"I'm sure you had your reasons..." Demi tried to soothe.

"Yeah I had my reasons but maybe I should have listened to her explanations before blowing up... I mean-"

Demi had already tuned him out. A plan was forming in the young woman's head and she grinned at the thought.

* * *

He was consumed with guilt for having blown up at Miley the way he had earlier in the day. He couldn't comprehend what had taken over him in that instant and after several failed attempts of calling Miley, he had given up. _For now. _

Nick reached over for his laptop sitting on the bedside table and powered it up. He decided it was time to torture himself some more.

The first article he found interesting on the first gossip site he landed on was the Last Song sound track: 'I hope you find it'. He let the song play while he scrolled through the articles, stopping every now and then to read the comments. He was somewhat stunned by the number of fans who supported Miley and him and despised Liam. He needed to remember to thank those same people/fans who had unknowingly given him a wave of confidence with such a few words... the confidence he really was going to need if he was going to prove that he was worth more than Liam. That there was more between them than there would ever be between her and the Australian. The least he could do was fight, right?

In less than one hour, Nick was up to date with all the gossip – gossip he had tried to block out for fear of hurting... But he was wrong. Seeing her with _him _was so much than he had originally thought. It felt like he'd been stabbed several times in the same place... opening up the wound wider every single time his eyes set on a picture of _her_ with _him_.

Setting his laptop aside, the young male stretched out and gathered his thoughts. The first thing he needed to know was... was she happy? Something in the back his mind nagged him and he reached for the computer once again. As his thoughts sunk in, the male realised that Miley had contradicted herself several times in the various interviews she had given.

"_We've been together for 11 months now..." _Her words rang in his ears and he made quick calculations. He knew she had only met Liam in May and if he was right... 11 months would refer to April. March/April was the time Nick had apologised and the ex couple had 'reconnected'. _Nice slip up, Miles!_ He congratulated himself for nailing her wronged memory.

Further research told him that she had first admitted to dating Liam since August... _Unreliable memory, you got there, Miles. _Another slipup...

It occurred to him that he may have been biased but he certainly didn't feel that Miley was being genuine when speaking of Liam in terms of a lover. It was as though she was trying too hard to convince everyone that they were so in love. If there was one thing he knew it was that Miley did not share her deepest feelings publicly. In fact, it had taken young Miley several months before admitting to herself that she was in love with Nick. He knew she was older now, but he still believed that her feelings were meant for her and the person involved. Not the whole world.

He found a lack of sincerity in Liam as well when talking about Miley. However cliché it sounded, Nick felt like a spark was missing. Their eyes didn't light up, their smiles didn't brighten...

The pictures taken by the paparazzi showed an uncomfortable Liam with a smiling Miley. Miley had always been pro when it came to the paps, Nick was well placed to know that and she was a very good actress. But she failed to give out the impression that she was in love with Liam the way she claimed to be. And Liam simply oozed discomfort and boredom.

The thought of Liam using Miley for publicity occurred to him but he simply refused to believed that someone as great as Miley could be used and chucked away without a second thought. He shook the idea out of his head.

The article about the Australian trip served to win his heart over, convincing him once and for all that Liam and Miley were not a real couple. It was all for publicity. For their big first movie. Anything to sell, right? He knew Tish and Billy Ray well enough to know how strict they were when it came to their daughter and boys. The parents had been reluctant to let Nick, a purity ring wearer, sleep in the same bed as her at almost 17 years old... what were the odds of them letting her fly out to a foreign country with a 19 year old boyfriend? No. He didn't believe they would have let her go without supervision if they had not been completely sure of the platonic nature of the relationship between the two teens.

He was convinced. Liam and Miley were PR. And Nick was breathing again.

The more he thought of it, the more it made sense... the couple had gone public just 3 weeks earlier and the Last Song premiere was coming up. What was the likelihood of Miley hiding a relationship for 10 months and going public just in time for the premiering of the movie the couple was starring in? It just didn't add up...

**March 24****th****: Backstage of American Idol **

"What are you doing here?" Miley huffed at the sight of her ex boyfriend walking into her dressing room.

"Miles-" He tried to explain but her fiery temper would not let him.

"I'm not getting into this when I'm about to go perform in front of the critics like Simon!" She was referring to the American Idol judge known for his abrupt critics.

"You'll do fine." His answer surprised her and she arched her eyebrows suspiciously.

"What are you up to?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm not up to anything!" The young man lifted his arms innocently.

"Nick." She warned, her voice sounding dangerous.

"When were you going to tell me you and Liam were for publicity?" He blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer. Once again, she huffed.  
"Why can't you accept that Liam and I are good together? Why won't you accept the fact that I _have_ moved on?" Her distressed arm gestures said it all... She was trapped and he knew it. A smirk appeared on the curly haired singer's flawless face.

"Who are you trying to convince? _Me_? Or yourself?" And with that, he turned around and walked towards the door, a triumphant smile gracing his thin pink lips. It wouldn't be much longer, he promised himself. Her games were just about to come to an end. _For good_.

"Nick!" He coughed to hide the smile that was making his lips twitch uncomfortably. Never had it felt so good to be _right_. "I, uh-" He couldn't help the smirk that reappeared on his face the second she lowered her eyes. She was stuttering. Miley Stewart was stuttering! He shook his head and focused his attention back on the brunette beauty who was obviously struggling to sort out her thoughts and feelings.

"Do you want to know what I think?" He cut through the chase and was rewarded with her gaze locking onto his intense one. No answer. "Whatever it was you were trying to do... you failed. You know why? You're trying too hard. And do you know what that means? That means you're trying to convince yourself that _he_'s everything you claim he is." His eyes hardened and the bitterness that appeared in his voice was out of his control. "The sad part is that we both know he's not what you're trying to make him out to be. Sure he may look perfect outwardly... but tell me... does he make you feel this?" He had unknowingly taken a few steps and his face was now inches away from hers. _So close_.

She shivered when his hot breath hit her face and her first instinct was to take a step back. But she didn't.

"Does he do this to you?" He brought his hand to her cheek and trailed his calloused finger along the outline of her jaw. His eyes bore into hers as he leaned forward so their lips were mere inches apart. Just like he expected, her eyes dropped closed and her breath hitched. He couldn't resist testing her limits, no matter how unfair it seemed. He needed to know... he had to make sure he was right and erase all those insecurities that lingered in the back of his mind. His lips brushed against hers but he didn't give in to temptation. No. It was his turn to play games. He could feel her skin heat up under his touch and smirked. "That's what I thought." And with that, he was gone.

He made a mental note to thank Demi for suggesting he come see Miley before her performance. A suggestion she might have refrained from voicing if she had known just what he was planning to tell the long haired brunette superstar.

It took Miley a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened and she blinked a few times to make sure he was really gone. Her heart sunk deep into her chest and she held onto the wall for support. Was that really _her Nicky_ who had, in a few sentences, so convincingly summed up her very public relationship with her co-star?

* * *

Nick's smile never faltered as he whistled a cheerful tune. It was the first night in a long time when the house had been left to him alone and he couldn't say he didn't like having some alone time. His parents had flown to New Jersey with his little brother and Joe was out for the night.

The loud motor of a car rolling into the driveway picked his curiosity and he let out a chuckle at the sight of the SUV he knew to be Miley's. He could already hear her cursing under her breath for being caught out by her ex-boyfriend and it made his smile widen. She was surely _something._

He thought he'd save some time and opened the door and gestured for her to walk right in. Her white floor length dress had been replaced by a pair of skinny jeans and a black t-shirt and Nick couldn't deny how beautiful she looked, no matter her outfit. Her black heels clicked loudly against the tiled floor as she brushed past Nick, her jaw locked tightly. She was angry. Nick gulped slightly.

"What did you have to do that, huh? Why? Everything was fine and you just walk back into my life with your cocky smirks and your- ugh. Couldn't you just-"

"Shhhhh!" She hadn't noticed Nick moving closer to her to gently clamp his hand over her mouth. "You're gonna wake up the neighbours." He didn't move his head away and grinned at her.

"Are you sorry I caught you out, Mi?" He smirked. He knew just which buttons to push to drive her crazy and he was using it to his advantage.

"Nicholas." The brunette growled. "Stop okay? Just stop!" She yelled out, obviously exasperated.

"Why are you fighting this?" Nick's eyes softened at the sight of Miley's glassy eyes. "Hey, Mi..." He

brought his hands up to cup her cheeks and he slowly lifted her face so their eyes could meet.

"I-I didn't-" The young woman's voice quivered as she attempted to speak. "I can't go home, Nick." The brunette admitted, her lip quivering noticeably.

"They're pushing you, aren't you?" He inquired kindly, his eyes never leaving her own. "It's ironic how our parents want us to stay grounded and be normal teens and yet they push us to be with people we don't want to be with..." The bitterness was clear in his voice.

"My publicist, my mom... the whole cast was for it... I-I wanted to say no, Nick. I didn't want to pretend to be in love with someone else" Miley's eyes betrayed the guilt she was feeling and Nick's eyes softened considerably at her confession. "I tried but they wouldn't have it. They don't understand just how much I need you and how I love you. And I'm just so tired with all of this, I just want to be with you and get away from it all-" Her rambling was interrupted by Nick's lips closing rapidly onto hers. He stopped mere inches away from her lips, praying that she wouldn't push him this time around and she didn't... she hesitantly closed the gap between their lips and the two lovers' hearts swelled as they kissed, making up for all the wasted time they had spent apart and denied the happiness their reunion brought them.

"It's okay, Mi." The young man soothed as he hugged her closely to his body.

"How-how did you know it was PR?" A single tear rolled down Miley's cheek and Nick was quick to catch it with the pad of his thumb.

"I know you better than you think." Was his simple answer before he dipped his head to bring their lips together again for a sweet, reassuring kiss.

"Did your dad push you to be with Selena?" Miley inquired moments later. The male's hold tightened around the tall brunette's waist.

"He kept dropping hints." He shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't see through it earlier. Publicity is all they wanted..."

"You don't need it, though." Miley tipped her head backwards and smiled up at him.

"Neither do you..." He countered, his eyes growing serious. "You don't need a publicity stunt like this to show your fans just how great you are." His lips moved against her hair as he pressed small pecks to her highlighted curls. "You don't need him, Mi." The tone of his voice matched the seriousness of his expression.

"I just need you." Her answer had his heart swelling with love and pride and he couldn't resist sweeping her off her feet with a meaningful, passionate kiss.

"I need you." She repeated as their lips parted and their eyes locked. "_I just need you_ _now_!" She whispered as their lips collided again and their hands reacquainting themselves with each others' maturing bodies.

"How much longer?" He demanded, his breathing ragged and she knew exactly what he meant.

"Three more weeks and I'm a free woman." She giggled at his impatient demeanour.

"You're pretty much taken at the moment." He growled against her lips as his hands possessively gripped her sides to bring her close to him.

**Credit to Aka MickxMilkxNiley on twitter for all the arguments about Liam/Miley being PR. Check out her stories if you haven't already and follow her on twitter! :D Thanks girl for letting me use all your arguments for this one-shot!**

**No offense to those who like and/or believe in Miam. This is just a one shot for the simple purpose of entertainment!! No hate!**

**I wanted to thank you guys again for the amazing NJK awards I got!!! Total of 9 awards, 4 being for first place! I still can't believe it! Oh and let's not forget... I won Best New Author!! Thank you so much to all of those who voted for me, you guys have really spoiled me!!!!! **

**Follow me on twitter: WIshUponaStarM**

**Xoxo**


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